Whiskers
by jedi.with.the.elder.wand
Summary: I was so angry, it felt like I was going to catch fire. James, the only man who had even bothered to look at me, was dead and it was all Peter's fault. And Sirius was sitting in jail because of him. And to top it all off, everyone was pitying him—Oh, poor little Peter, blasted to pieces by that insane, devilish Sirius Black. If I ever saw that rat again…
1. Chapter 1: The Nicest Man on Earth

**~Whiskers~**

 **Disclaimer: Anything recognizable from the** _ **Harry Potter**_ **series belongs to J.K. Rowling**

 **Note: this fanfiction explains the fan theory that Crookshanks is the Potter's old cat.**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: The Nicest Man on Earth**

The rain glittered as it fell through the soft orange glow shining from the streetlights. The rain was cold and wet, but it was a nice and refreshing compared to the scorching July heat. But then I remembered that I hated rain.

It wasn't _that_ refreshing.

I bolted across the street, dodging several cars, and miraculously made it to the sidewalk, where a whole new challenge awaited me. The shoppers. I had to weave in and out of scurrying legs, try not to slip on the wet ground and all the while making sure I wasn't stepped on.

Rain drops pounded on my back and face as I squeezed my way through the last pair of feet, which, by the way, narrowly missed my tail. I dashed into the nearest alleyway and wedged myself into the corner where smelly dumpster met cold wall.

All of this might seem really hard. Okay, it _was_ a miracle that I was still alive, but I had done this every day of my life. Well, that's what I remembered—being born in this cozy little London apartment not more than four months ago. My owner was one of those kneazle breeders. So, the only reason I was born was to make her money. Which… I failed at. No one wanted me, so she dumped me out on the streets. And, I'd been living from alleyway to alleyway, trashcan to trashcan all my life.

Sometimes a stranger would give me, like, part of their burger or something. Actually, I've gotten quite a few breath mints. Which is weird. But mostly, people just ignore me. At times, I wished they would pay attention to me, pet me, tell me I'm cute. But, I was just the disgusting, hungry, skinny alley cat that everybody ignores, nobody wants.

Anyway, I sat by the dumpster, watching the shoppers push each other out of the way to get to the shoe sale, watching the rain splash as it hit the road. Occasionally being blinded by headlights.

But then I heard something behind me, a noise that almost made me jump like the shoppers trying to get a better look at the window displays. The noise was a loud _CRACK_! Then it was silent again. Uh…okay…

But that noisechanged my whole life.

A man walked by my dumpster. He was wearing a black rain coat with the hood covering up his incredibly untidy black hair, almost as if he was afraid of being seen. He was pretty tall. His hazel eyes were framed with circular glasses and he had a mischievous grin playing around the corners of his mouth. The man walked right past me, not even glancing at me. How unusual.

Then the man did something that surprised me. He turned around, looked at me and smiled. No one ever smiled at me before. I meowed affectionately at him, trying my best to sound cute.

The man knelt and looked me in the eyes. He reached out and scratched my chin with one finger. I purred appreciatively and he rubbed my head. The man glanced over his shoulder, then he scooped me up and stroked my head as he held me in his arms. If a cat could cry tears of joy, I probably would have.

The man walked down the street, seemingly trying hard to be discreet. He walked into a small shop called BALLOONS. He approached the counter and grinned at me.

"Could I have a balloon? Like, a first birthday one?" he asked the lady behind the counter.

She smiled and held up a blue balloon in the shape of the number 1. The man took out his wallet, and made an _oops_ face. He set me down gently on the floor while he fumbled around in his wallet with gold coins and paper currency. Something I remembered my old owner call Muggle money.

I stayed right by his side, rubbing my face against his leg to tell him how much I liked him. The only person to ever pet me, to ever smile at me, to ever hold me like I was more that an alley cat or a way to make money.

He handed the woman some money and, holding the balloon in one hand, scooped me up again and sheltered me from the rain with his coat.

He walked back down the alleyway that he had found me in and walked all the way to the back. The man turned on the spot and everything went black. It felt like my body way being sucked into a straw and I was suffocating.

And then everything was fine again. But now I was somewhere else. Okay, that's weird.

We were standing in the middle of a small town right next to a church. Except it wasn't raining here, it was bright and sunny. The street was lined with small shops and extending beyond the church was several neighborhoods. The man turned towards the houses and started walking.

Soon enough, he stopped, but not in front of a house. He stopped next to this gap in the row of houses. But, he walked right up to it as if he could see a house that I couldn't. Uh…

And next thing I knew, I was in a house. It was a nice house. The walls were plain white, with occasional pictures here and there. All of the furniture was soft and grey. A large brick fire place stood at the back with several more pictures on top. One of those baby-mat-play-things was sitting in front of it. The whole place looked as if it was decorated for some sort of party. A few presents sat in the corner and a banner that said _Happy Birthday Harry!_ hung on the wall and several balloons were floating around the couch.

The man stepped in and quietly closed the door. He was tip-toeing over to a chair when I heard a door in the other room fly open. Then, a woman with long, dark red hair came storming into the room. Her eyes looked like green fire. She was holing a baby that looked like a miniature version of the man, but with the woman's bright green eyes (except the baby's eyes looked happy).

"James Potter!" she yelled, throwing a pillow at him, "Where have you been?"

"I—" James started to say, but she interrupted.

"You aren't supposed to leave! We're in _hiding_ , James!"

"Lily, I know. But I was just going to get a balloon for Harry," he held up the number 1 balloon, "And plus, it's so boring staying in the house all the time."

Lily sighed. Then her green eyes came to rest upon me. She raised her eyebrows at James.

"What is that?" she asked.

"A cat," James answered.

"I know that," Lily said, "I meant why do you have it?"

"Because he's cute," James replied as he put me on the floor.

"James—" she started to say, but then she looked at me again, "I guess he is cute."

"Right?" James asked as he went over to sit on the couch, "So can we keep him?"

I meowed softly and looked into Lily's eyes, trying to appear cuter than ever. Giving her the, uh, kitty-eyes?

"I don't know," she considered, "Is he safe for Harry?"

"Of course, he is," James answered casually.

"Uh…" Lily hesitated. I widened my eyes even more, and purred as I lept onto James's lap. "Fine. We can keep him." she decided as she set the baby on the mat and bustled into the kitchen again.

I was happier than I had ever been in my entire life. These people wanted to keep me. Because they thought I was cute, not because I was a good way to make money. It was almost too good to be true.

Then the doorbell rang. James moved me onto the couch and went to get the door. How someone found this house, I didn't know.

A handsome man with long black hair framing his face, wearing a pink party hat stepped in. He strolled over to the couch and sat down. Then he saw me.

"A cat, James?" he asked, "Seriously, I'm a dog."

"Seriously, Sirius," James smirked, "And you aren't actually a dog, remember?"

"Well, pretty close," Sirius replied and he reached out to pet me. "Where's Lily?"

"She's in the kitchen," James answered, "Why?"

"Because I need to talk to you about something."

"What?"

"Well, you know how I'm your Secret-keeper?"

"Yeah..." James looked confused.

"I've been thinking… maybe I shouldn't be," Sirius concluded solemnly.

Now, I don't know what all this Secret-keeper nonsense is, but the moment Sirius said that, I got the feeling that this wasn't a good idea.

"Why not?" James asked.

"Because… well, everyone kind of… expected you and Lily to choose me. And… I think if it was someone else, the secret might be better protected," Sirius explained.

"Uh… alright. What about Moony?"

"No!" Sirius cried immediately.

"What?" James knit his eyebrows.

"Oh," Sirius hesitated, "Well, because… uh, he's a werewolf."

James almost looked hurt. "Sirius, he told us when we were kids, and we didn't care. You're telling me now that you're scared of him, or—"

"I know," Sirius shook his head, "But… Voldemort's recruiting all of the werewolves and… well… I just don't trust him."

"Sirius, Remus had been our friend for… for forever. He wouldn't join Voldemort, or rat me out."

"James, we can't take any chances." Sirius decided grimly. "Tomorrow we make Peter Secret-keeper?"

James hesitated. "Um… alright."

Somehow, I knew immediately that this was a terrible decision.

* * *

Half an hour or so later, the other party guests had arrived. Which was only two more people. One of them was a man the same age as James, but his brown hair had some grey streaks in it. His clothes were kind of shabby too. James and Sirius had called him Moony (and occasionally Remus). He was the werewolf that Sirius was talking about.

The other guest was a pudgy man with slick blond hair and watery blue eyes. He was shorter than all of the other men and he looked really nervous about something. Apparently, his name was either Wormtail or Peter.

I wondered why these guys had two names.

The party was fun. But usually birthday parties for one-year-olds are mostly for the adults. Still, it was my first party.

At one point, Harry had started saying something that sounded like pongs. James had smiled and grinned at his friends.

"Shall we boys?" he asked. Three of them grinned back and nodded. I was eager to see what this was all about.

And then, James slowly changed shape and suddenly, he was a deer. The same thing happened to Sirius, except he became a big black dog, the kind that had often tried to eat me when I lived on the streets. The third man, Peter, shrunk even smaller and became a rat. Harry giggled.

I was so shocked that I jumped. Remus and Lily laughed. Dog Sirius trotted up to me and barked. Part of me wanted to hiss and defend myself, but the other part of me knew it was Sirius. The two parts of me had come to a compromise, and I just put my paw on Sirius's nose.

The two other men changed back into man-form, but Sirius stayed a dog and lept up on the couch next to me.

* * *

 **A/N: Hoped you liked my first chapter! Feel free to leave reviews and thank you for reading. :-)**


	2. Chapter 2: October 31, 1981

**Chapter 2: October 31, 1981**

Life at the Potter's was great. I was with people who loved me and I loved them back, even if I couldn't tell them.

James had decided to name me James Jr. Lily had sighed and said that I couldn't be names after him. James had argued that "at least I didn't name Harry Prongs Jr." And the matter was settled.

The day after the party, Peter had been made Secret-keeper. I sat in the living room and watched as Peter, Remus, Sirius, James, Lily did something with the Fidilous Charm? Filidious Charm? Something like that. They had decided not to tell Dumbledore, whoever that was. I watched tensely, because I _knew_ this was a big mistake. I don't know how, I don't know why, but something told me, _No! Don't make Peter the Secret-keeper!_ But they did. And I didn't like it. I didn't trust Peter.

But, on a happier note: One of the best parts about living in the Potter's house was that they never left. It was great. Sirius, Remus and Peter would sometimes visit. Peter always looked nervous, his right arm would sometimes scratch his inner left forearm. It seemed kind of weird, but I thought it was a bad sign.

I soon came to realize that these people were all wizards and witches, like my previous owner. That would explain James's trouble with Muggle money, his Apparating and Disapparating, the fact that three of them could turn into animals, one was a werewolf and why each of them always whipped out wands.

Sirius and I had formed a special friendship. I found that kind of funny, because I was a cat and he was a dog (sort of). But we got along great. He would change into a dog and chase me around the house while James laughed and Lily yelled at us. We would race each other up the steps and sometimes even play tug of war with a rope.

Harry and I also had a good thing going. We liked to play this game called, "Try to kill the cat with a toy broomstick." It was great. Harry would hop on the broom and zoom around the living room, right at me. I would run away, obviously, and he would chase me. It was fun, but if it got out of hand, I would hide under the couch.

Sometime near the beginning of October, James had gotten upset about losing something. He had had to send an owl with a package and he was really disgruntled after that.

Remus was really nice too. It was hard to believe that Sirius thought he was a trader. He was probably the nicest werewolf I had ever met. Okay, so he was the _only_ werewolf I had ever met, but, if I had to guess… he was the nicest. On every full moon, Remus, James, Sirius and Peter would go somewhere for a few nights. That was the only time James ever left, and Lily didn't even get mad.

Well, it _was_ the only time James had ever left, until Halloween.

James was sitting at the table on Halloween morning carving a pumpkin. I sat on the table watching him. He claimed that you should carve on Halloween, that way they look fresh on the "big day."

It wasn't very good, but if you looked closely, you could just make out the rough shape of a stag, dog, rat and wolf. I thought it was the best pumpkin ever.

"Y'know, Lily," James said to his wife, who was washing the dishes, "we should go out tonight."

Lily nearly dropped a plate, "Seriously, James? Go out?"

"Yeah."

"Uh, no."

"C'mon, you let me go out on full moons," James argued.

"Yes, I do. But that's because a) you're helping a friend and I care about Remus, b) because you're in your Animagus form and the Death Eaters are less likely to recognize you," she explained.

"It's just one night," James reasoned as he worked on the stag's antlers.

Lily looked as though she was really tempted. I wanted to change her mind. I wanted them to stay. They couldn't go, they might get killed. And I couldn't lose them.

"Mm… I guess you _are_ right… just one night. Right?" she asked.

"Right," James beamed.

No! I thought, don't go! It's dangerous! That's the one thing I hate about being a cat. You can't talk. You can't warn the people you love or try to save them. Dogs can bark, I can purr. A purr is not usually an indication of danger.

* * *

That night, the Potters set out, leaving the security of their house for the first time since they went into hiding. They wrapped little Harry up in a blue blanket and put him in a baby stroller that they probably never used. James and Lily put on black coats and scarves and pulled on their boots.

They walked to the door and I followed them every step of the way. James looked back and smiled. Then he scratched my head. "We'll be back bud," he whispered, "I promise." He sounded as if he was trying to convince himself more than me. He sighed and closed the door.

I waited tensely, practically counting down the minutes until they returned. I paced up and down the mantel, I batted Harry's stuffed deer and scratched the carpet anxiously. I was half hoping that maybe Sirius would come along, so I would have company. Someone to help get me through this. But he was probably out with his best friend. Remus and Peter probably were too. Not that I wanted Peter's company, mind you.

And finally, after a million years, the Potter's came back. Words could not even describe how happy I was to see them; I jumped up and down like a dog when they walked in. James sat wearily down on the couch, as if he too, was relieved they were alive.

The family passed the time by watching James make colored rings of colorful smoke with his wand. Harry giggled and Lily smiled. But that happy feeling didn't last long.

Halloween was the night it all went wrong. It was as if he was waiting for them to come back. But how he knew where they were…

The doorknob clicked. James sat up quickly, tensely and alertly. Lily caught her breath and held Harry closer to her chest. And then there was this loud explosion sound and half of the house was blasted to pieces. James screamed, "Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off!"

Lily bolted up the stairs while the intruder laughed maliciously. James screamed, and I heard something hit the floor mixed with the sounds of more high, cold laughter. Heart racing, I ran as fast as my stubby legs would carry me out of the house and into the cold night, listening to the yelling, crying and cruel laughter fade behind me. I turned and saw blinding green light flash through the upstairs windows and a woman screaming. Fearing the worst, I turned away and ran into the nearby woods.

* * *

As dawn approached, I found myself running hopelessly and desperately back to the house. It was now almost completely destroyed, and now there was a giant crater in the street. Police cars surrounded the area and there were several bodies on the floor. My heart pounding in my head, I shot towards the house, afraid of what I was going to see, but unable to turn away. And what I saw made me feel as though someone had just run a knife through my heart.

James Potter was lying dead on the floor. I ran over to him, trying to convince myself that this was just a bad dream, James wasn't really dead, no way. But I knew it was no use. James was gone. A lump formed in my throat as I looked at him and suddenly my legs felt numb. But I went all the way over to him and curled up on his chest, not caring that he was gone, I was going to stay with him.

* * *

But when I woke up, I wasn't with him. Some old lady was carrying me down a crowded colorful street, full of Wizarding stores, full of people gossiping.

"Did you hear about the Potters?"

"And their son?"

"Harry Potter! It's a miracle he survived."

"It's a miracle all right! You-Know-Who! He's gone!"

"And vanquished by a baby. Man, that's gotta hurt your self-esteem."

That almost made me happy. Harry was still alive. But none of these people seemed to care that James and Lily were dead. In fact, they sounded _happy_. It didn't matter that the two best people in the world were dead…as long as this You-Know-Who guy's out of the way. It was disgusting.

"But that _sick_ Sirius Black!" some woman exclaimed in a whisper to her friend, who nodded her head.

"Why he would do such a horrible thing… He was James's best friend. And Peter's too."

"It's such a relief he's in Azkaban."

"Yes, but without trial."

"Trial?! Barbara! That man betrayed his best friend to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, he killed another one of them—all they found of poor Peter was a _finger_ —and not to mention, he blasted twelve Muggles to their deaths. Trial! Bah!"

Hold on a minute. Sirius did _what_? There was no way. Sirius couldn't have betrayed James, he wasn't Secret-keeper…

Peter! That dirty, rotten, lying _rat_! I thought, I knew it, I knew it, I knew it. He shouldn't have been made Secret-keeper. Peter told this He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named dude where James and Lily were. That's how he had found them! Thinking about it again tied my heart in painful knots.

And then he tried to _frame_ Sirius! And Sirius was sitting in jail, an innocent man. He was suffering for stupid _Peter_. And Peter faking his own death… it was sick—cutting off his own finger.

I was so angry, it felt like I was going to catch fire. James, the only man who had even bothered to look at me, was dead and it was all _Peter's_ fault. And Sirius was sitting in jail because of him. And to top it all off, everyone was _pitying_ him— _Oh, poor little Peter, blasted to pieces by that_ insane, devilish _Sirius Black._

If I ever saw that rat again…

"Come now, Honey Pie," the old woman sang, smacking me out of my trans, "Let's get you something to eat."

* * *

 **A/N: Hoped you liked it! And if you did, don't forget to follow/review! Thanks for reading!**

 **:D**


	3. Chapter 3: Hermione and the Rat

**Chapter 3: Hermione and the Rat**

The next twelve years was _long_. And boring. And miserable. I'm surprised I even lived that long, must be my Kneazle blood.

The day I had found out that Sirius was a "traitor," the old lady (her name was Theresa) had taken me to this place called Magical Menagerie, a wizarding pet shop. It had lots of creatures in it: Anything from your Average Joe dog or cat to giant jewel-encrusted tortoises and poisonous orange snails (those things are interesting, let me tell you).

Anyway, Theresa brought me there and locked me in a cage before doing anything else. For the first few days, I was too sad to do anything really. Losing James had left me heartbroken and angry, which was a lot for a cat to feel. My heart felt numb with pain of losing someone I loved, but I could still feel it burning with anger at Peter.

But after a while, I found that it was best to occupy myself so that I didn't think about it anymore, and soon the pain wore off. Don't get me wrong—I was still sad. It's like…when you lose a loved one, you're sad for a few months, but then the sadness kind of melts away until you're just left with a hollow, unfilled whole in your heart that you knew can never be occupied again.

Sorry, I got deep right there.

Eventually, Theresa gave me free range of the store. I could go wherever I pleased, do whatever I wanted. I played with other cats, hid in dark corners until she found me again, chased the black rats she kept and pretended they were Peter, y'know, normal cat activities. And I guess I should mention that Theresa named me Crookshanks. Don't know where she got that name from; I preferred James Jr.

In a paragraph, it doesn't seem to bad. But I was doing that every day for _twelve years_. It got boring. Nothing interesting happened. Literally nothing. Okay, Okay, I'm probably exaggerating, but…

Point is, life in Magical Menagerie was boring.

That is, until they started putting the posters up.

It happened in mid-August of 1993. I was sitting on a shelf watching the new puppies play with the Puffskeins when Theresa walked in with a worried look on her face and a stack of papers in her hand. She plucked one from the pile and began sticking it to the window.

"Sirius Black… escaped from Azkaban… I can't _believe_ it," she muttered to herself.

 _Sirius Black_?! As in _my_ Sirius Black? He _escaped_? I was so shocked that I almost fell off the shelf.

My heart raced as I looked at the wanted poster. If you hadn't known him before, he wouldn't be recognizable. He still had that long dark hair and dark eyes, but his skin was sallow, and his face and hands were thin. He still had the ghost of good looks around his face, but he looked… there's no other word… deranged.

Theresa went around the pet store tacking up more posters. Then another lady entered. She was wearing a red dress and long earrings. She had shiny brown hair and sparkly turquoise high heels.

"You got the posters too Theresa?" she asked.

"Rosemerta!" Theresa jumped. "Merlin's beard you scared me. What are you doing in Diagon Alley?"

"I was just coming to get some supplies," Rosemerta answered.

"Well, yes of course, I got the posters," Theresa changed the subject. "First person _ever_ to escape from Azkaban."

"Yes, well," Rosemerta sighed. "The Ministry's also going to send Dementors into my pub."

"Dementors of Azkaban?" Theresa shuddered. "They really think Sirius Black would be there?"

While the two women gossiped about that horrible man Sirius Black, I was thinking about the real Sirius Black. I thought about all the hours spent as cat and dog, playfully chasing each other around the Potters' house. It was terrible to think about him spending twelve years in prison, knowing that the whole entire Wizarding world believed he was the reason his best friend was gone. I stared sadly at the poster of Sirius.

It only got more interesting from there.

* * *

A few days later, I was sitting atop a stack of pet cages thinking about Sirius. I was planning my revenge on Peter, that rotten traitor. My, uh, _hypothetical_ revenge of course. Peter was gone, I could never find him again.

That was what I thought. Apparently, I was wrong.

Theresa was helping this wizard with proper care of double-ended newts when three kids walked in. My heart nearly stopped. One of the kids was James.

Wait a minute.

It couldn't be James. James was…dead. But this kid… he had the same stubbornly untidy black hair, the same nose, the same skinny body, the same round glasses. But he had green eyes. Eyes just like…Lily's. Then he could only be…

"It's my rat," the other boy told Theresa. He was long and gangly with bright red hair and lots of freckles. And really big feet. "He's been a bit off-color ever since I brought him back from Egypt."

"Bang him on the counter," Theresa answered casually as she took out her glasses.

The gangly boy took a beat up, skinny, sickly-looking rat out of his pocket and set him on the counter, next to the cage of black rats. This rat was uber-disgusting, it was even missing a toe.

"Hm," Theresa considered, picking up the rat, "How old is this rat?"

"Quite old. He used to belong to my brother," Long-and-Gangly answered.

"What powers does he have?" Theresa asked.

"Er—" Long-and-Gangly hesitated.

"He's been through the mill, this one," Theresa commented.

"He was like that when Percy gave him to me," Long-and-Gangly said defensively.

Theresa pointed to her sleek black rats, and offered one to the boy. While the customers and Theresa talked, I studied Harry. He looked exactly like James, it was a little freaky. Like good freaky, though, not scary freaky. But his eyes were Lily's beautiful bright green eyes.

Then my gaze shifted to that disgusting rat. It made me sick just looking at it. And its missing toe…ew. That's funny, I thought, Peter is a rat and he cut off his finger…

Suddenly I was filled with so much anger and hate that it was surely going to burn me. I thought that rat had seemed a bit funny. I had that ability, to sense when humans are disguised.

I lept from the cages and down onto Long-and-Gangly's head.

"NO, CROOKSHANKS, NO!" Theresa cried.

Then I sprung at Peter, hissing madly and frantically slashing my paws, trying to hurt every inch of that stupid backstabber. But Peter was too quick, he lept between Theresa's fingers and ran out of the store. Harry and Long-and-Gangly followed.

I sat there panting and seething with rage. Then the girl who had accompanied Harry reached out and timidly pat my head. I looked up.

The girl had bushy brown hair and brown eyes that were glowing with admiration (not surprising, I'm pretty adorable). She kind of reminded me of Lily.

Theresa sighed and then noticed the girl petting me.

"You like him?" Theresa asked hopefully.

The girl nodded enthusiastically. "How much is he?"

"He's only three Galleons." Theresa replied happily, "How nice! No one's ever wanted him before."

Boy, was that a lie… sort of. A few people had bought me, but I made sure that I had come right back here. Any home that wasn't with James wasn't for me. But this was different. This girl was sweet, and she reminded me so much of Lily. Plus, she was friends with Harry. And Peter's owner, Long-and-Gangly. If I went with her, I could maybe finally get Peter.

The girl payed for me and some rat tonic and we left the store, me purring contentedly in her arms. Long-and-Gangly and Harry were waiting for us.

"You _bought_ that monster?" Long-and-Gangly asked.

The girl scratched me behind the ear, "He's _gorgeous_ , isn't he?"

"Hermione, that thing nearly scalped me!" Long-and-Gangly gaped.

"He didn't mean to, did you, Crookshanks?" Hermione cooed. I meowed to say, _Of course, I did. And my name isn't Crookshanks, it's James Jr., but whatever._

"And what about Scabbers? He needs rest and relaxation! How's he going to get it with that thing hanging around?" Long-and-Gangly asked.

"That reminds me, you forgot your rat tonic," Hermione gave him the small bottle, "And stop _worrying,_ Crookshanks will be sleeping in my dormitory and Scabbers in yours, what's the problem? Poor Crookshanks, that witch said he'd been in there for ages; no one wanted him."

"I wonder why," Long-and-Gangly said sarcastically as we headed down the street. I purred happily as Hermione pet me.

* * *

 **A/N: That chapter was fun to write. Hoped you like it! Feel free to leave reviews, anything you think I could improve on.**

 **Oh, and the dialog was directly quoted from** _ **The Prisoner of Azkaban**_ **by J.K. Rowling.**

 **:D**


	4. Chapter 4: Operation Revenge

**Chapter 4: Operation Revenge**

Life at Hogwarts was great. Hermione's dormitory was nice and cozy, and the Gryffindor common room was even better. I could go wherever I wanted to while Hermione and her friends were at classes. The only thing that annoyed me was Mrs. Norris. _She_ was a piece of work.

Well, her and Peter. He was always with Long-and-Gangly (I'd learned his name was Ron, but to be perfectly honest, I liked Long-and-Gangly better. I wasn't a big fan of that kid, whether he was Ron, or Long-and-Gangly), pretending to be his poor rat who needed to rest. I know what you're thinking: Why don't I just go get him? I didn't because I was reluctant to get on Hermione's or Harry's bad side. If I attacked Long-and-Gangly's "pet," they might not like me, and I didn't want that.

Anyway, one day in October, I was walking through the castle corridors. I didn't know where exactly I was going, but I didn't want to sit in the dorm all day.

It was kind of weird when you think about it. James and Sirius once walked these exact same hallways. And so did Peter, pretending to be their friend. Or maybe he actually was their friend back then. If he was, I wonder what happened that made him… y'know… pretty much kill James.

I was so lost in thought that I didn't even realize I was outside. It was nice outside. Cool and cloudy. Some of the leaves were changing colors and a slight breeze rustled in the grass. I was standing a few hundred yards away from this giant tree, whose branches were… moving? Weird. But, after a few weeks at a Wizarding school, I'd learned not to be surprised.

I laid down on the grass and was about to close my eyes when something barked at me. I looked around curiously.

Then, this giant, black dog came out of a bush. Its teeth were bared, and its yellow eyes were hungry. But it didn't seem completely dog…

It barked at me again as it moved towards the tree with the moving branches. I hissed at it, still unsure if it was _really_ a dog.

And then something clicked. It _wasn't_ a dog. It was an Animagus, and Sirius's Animagus form was a giant black dog.

Sirius bounded up to the tree, nimbly dodging several branches. He reached the base of the trunk and touched a knot at the bottom. The branches stopped moving and Sirius went into what looked like a tunnel and was gone.

I shook myself out of my trans and lept up, eager to catch up with Sirius. The branches were still unmoving, so I just ran as fast as my stubby legs could carry me and darted into the tunnel.

The tunnel had pretty high ceilings. It was big enough for a man to walk comfortably through. The walls were made of dirt, and there were rocks and leaves littering the floor. A couple cobwebs glistened in the faint light.

I ran forward, following the tunnel. After a few minutes, I finally reached an opening. I climbed through a hole and into a house. It was really old and dilapidated. Broken furniture was strewn about the floor, the wallpaper was ripped and peeling, the floorboards were rotted and splintering, and they creaked as Sirius paced back and forth.

"He's at Hogwarts, he's at Hogwarts. Well, now _I'm_ at Hogwarts," he muttered, rubbing his hands together, "Watch out Peter, you're going to pay for what you did…"

I meowed to get his attention. He turned and stared at me with those dark eyes. They seemed different than they had before he went to Azkaban. Not cheerful, just kind of blank. But also slightly crazy.

"A cat…a cat followed me… I wonder if…" Sirius muttered as he started pacing again. "Cats chase rats. Peter is a rat…"

He turned towards me again. Then he walked over and picked me up, carrying me to a torn couch and sitting down.

"Can you do me a favor…?" he asked. Now, even though I can understand him, humans don't know that. And looking at it that way, well, it seemed a bit weird to be asking a favor of a cat.

I hesitated. I wanted to help Sirius, but I was slightly hurt he didn't recognize me. Looking back on it, that seemed kind of silly, I mean, I had aged quite a bit in those twelve years; I wasn't a kitten anymore. But there was another reason. If Sirius had just _stayed_ Secret-keeper, well… this little episode wouldn't be happening right now.

Sirius sighed and started pacing again. "I'm asking a cat. Look at me, I'm asking a _cat_ for help."

He sounded so desperate, that, despite my doubts, I meowed to tell him I would help.

Sirius seemed to understand that, because his eyes widened, and he sat down. "Was that a yes?" he breathed.

I meowed again.

Sirius almost smiled. "James had a cat. James also had a son, a wife and the rest of his life to look forward to. But Peter took that away. No, _I_ took that away… _I_ made James change Secret-keepers. It was my fault." Sirius put his head in his hands.

I nuzzled against his knee and purred, sorry that I had hesitated and doubted him. I meowed sympathetically to say, _It's not your fault Sirius. It's Peter's. Let's get him_.

Sirius looked at me. "I need you to catch me a rat. The rat belongs to some red-haired guy. I saw his picture in the _Daily Prophet_. The rat only had one toe. And he's an Animagus. He's actually a person. A person who betrayed his friends and killed innocent people. I need you to kill him just like he killed James."

I didn't need convincing. I meowed and lept off the couch, ready for Operation Revenge.

* * *

Man, I was stupid not to attack Peter before. I mean, yes Hermione and Harry might not like me, but honestly, _who_ cares? If they knew what Peterhad done, they wouldn't be so sympathetic for him. Harry would think I was a hero for killing the rat that killed James.

And that is what I intended to do.

I walked through the tunnel, and I caught a spider for practice.

* * *

Hermione, Harry and Long-and-Gangly were sitting in the common room talking.

" _Ron_!" Hermione scolded. "Harry's supposed to stay _in school_ —"

"He can't be the only third year left behind," Long-and-Gangly said, "Ask McGonagall, go on, Harry—"

"Yeah, I think I will," Harry decided.

Hermione was about to argue when I lept up onto her lap, still clutching the spider in my mouth. I fixed my gaze on Long-and-Gangly and started slowly chewing the spider.

"Does he have to eat that in front of us?" he scowled.

"Clever Crookshanks, did you catch that all by yourself?" cooed Hermione.

I just kept staring at Long-and-Gangly. It was fun to annoy him.

"Just keep him over there, that's all," Long-and-Gangly said testily. "I've got Scabbers asleep in my bag."

Harry yawned.

"You can copy mine if you like," Long-and-Gangly said, handing something to Harry. Hermione looked at them disapprovingly and I kept watching Long-and-Gangly.

And then I attacked.

"OY! GET OFF, YOU STUPID ANIMAL!" Long-and-Gangly roared as I pounced on the bag and began ripping and tearing feverishly, desperate to get to Peter. I hissed and slashed.

Hermione squealed, "Ron, don't hurt him!" Ha. Hurt me. Peter was the only one getting hurt today.

Peter came flying out of the top of the bag. "CATCH THAT CAT!" Long-and-Gangly shouted as I flung myself furiously after him.

I chased Peter around the common room, dodging in and out of legs and arms of those who tried to catch me. Peter bolted around a chair leg and then lunged himself under an old chest. I slid to a stop and began swiping ferociously under it with my front paw.

Hermione grabbed me by the middle and pulled me away. I was still boiling with rage and hissing at Peter. Long-and-Gangly pulled Peter out from under the chest.

"Look at him!" he spat, "He's skin and bone! You keep that cat away from him!"

"Crookshanks doesn't understand it's wrong," Hermione said shakily. "All cats chase rats, Ron!"

"There's something funny about that animal! It heard me say Scabbers was in my bag!"

Uh huh, because I have ears, genius.

"Oh, what rubbish," said Hermione, "Crookshanks could _smell_ him, Ron, how else d'you think—"

"That cat's got it in for Scabbers!" Ron protested.

Dang right I did.

* * *

 **A/N: Hoped you liked it and feel free to leave reviews! :) Thanks for reading.**


	5. Chapter 5: Trouble with the Fat Lady

**Chapter 5: Trouble with the Fat Lady**

When I came back to Sirius without a dead Peter, he was…slightly miffed. Not at me (I hope), but at the fact that Peter was still alive. He paced back and forth in the old house (he called it the Shrieking Shack) and cursed under his breath.

"We'll have to try something else," he muttered. I meowed back. Man, I wished I could talk.

Sirius walked up the stairs and then back down, scratching his chin. "I'll have to kill Peter myself."

I meowed back, _Of course you do. Revenge is_ so _much better when you do it yourself, isn't it?_

"How could I get into the castle…" he murmured. "There's the secret-passage by the…no, I think that's sealed off. The one-eyed witch… that might work. I could get to Honeydukes as a dog, and then… today's Halloween? While everyone's at the feast… yes."

I meowed softly to say, _Can I come with you?_

Sirius looked over at me and smiled for the first time since I had seen him. "Hey," he said, sitting on the couch, "It's not that you didn't do well. I appreciate you helping me."

Again, looking from another person's point of view, Sirius would've seemed crazy, talking to a cat. But I liked it.

* * *

We left about an hour later.

"The kids should be almost gone from Hogsmeade, so we can sneak into Honeydukes. And everyone should be at the feast by the time we get into Hogwarts, so no one will see us." Sirius said. Then he shrunk down to the size of a big black dog.

We trotted out of the tunnel together. It almost felt like back when the Potter's were alive, and we would wander around the house together. For a second I forgot we were setting out to sneak into the Hogwarts castle and kill the backstabbing rat Peter. It felt like we were just going on an excursion to the bathroom where we would hide in the bathtub.

But no. Because of Peter, we couldn't have that anymore.

Sirius led the way down the road to this Hogsmeade place. It was a long, winding dirt road that lead through the Forbidden Forest. A little further past the edge of the Forest, it turned to the right and led to a small village with shops and a few houses. It wasn't as colorful or busy as Diagon Alley, but it felt less stressful and more relaxed.

Sirius led us into a store called Honeydukes. It was awesome.

The shelves were stacked with all kinds of weird candies like Chocolate Frogs (real frogs…?), Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans (what do they mean by every flavor…) and even something called a Cockroach Cluster (how in the world did they come up with that?). It even smelled great. And I was sure if a mother let her kids stay in here to long, they would either get diabetes or a tooth ache. Probably exaggerating, but… _man_ , there was a lot of candy.

The sound of footsteps came from upstairs. Sirius ran to the back of the store. I followed. We bolted down into the basement. He crouched by a certain spot on the floor, then he turned into a human again. If a cat could sigh in exasperation, I would have. But I can't, so I meowed reproachfully instead.

He just shook his head and used his new posable human fingers to pry open part of the floor. He gestured for me to get in. So, I did. He climbed in after me and shut the floor, then turned back into a dog.

What do ya know? We were in another tunnel. It was much like the Whomping Willow passage, but it was slightly cleaner.

We travelled down it for about an hour, until Sirius finally stopped and turned human. He took a wand out of his pocket and said, " _Dissendium_ ," as he tapped his wand on the wall of solid rock he had stopped at. It slowly slid open. Sirius hurriedly changed into a dog and stepped into the corridor. Apparently, we had just come out of a giant hump-backed witch. Nice.

We crept down the corridors and around the castle until finally we were back at the Fat Lady's portrait (entrance to the Gryffindor common room). Sirius glanced nervously around and then barked at the Fat Lady.

"Merlin's beard!" she exclaimed. Then her expression softened. "How did you get in here, little doggie?"

I could've sworn I saw Sirius roll his eyes.

He barked again, and the Fat Lady giggled. "Well, aren't you _cute_?"

Sirius growled and then turned into a human. The Fat Lady screamed.

"You?! What? How…" then she screamed again.

"Well? Can I come in?" Sirius asked impatiently. Good plan.

"No! I…" the Fat Lady was still shocked.

"Balderdash! Dilligrout! Wattlebird!" Sirius said urgently, glancing surreptitiously up and down the corridor. "Gardyloo! _Bumfuzzle_!?"

Sirius sighed in annoyance and turned into a dog again. He growled and slashed the portrait viciously as the Fat Lady turned and fled. Pieces of portrait fluttered down to the ground gracefully as Sirius barred his teeth and the Fat Lady ran away screaming shrilly.

Suddenly there was the sound of distant murmuring. Sirius barked as if to say, _Stay here! I'm going through that giant witch tunnel thing._

I sat there obediently. In a few minutes, the whole corridor was flooded with Gryffindors who muttered suspiciously and confusedly. No one noticed me.

" _Why_ is no one going? I've still got homework! Unfortunately…"

"Ouch! Back up, you just stepped on my foot!"

"Move! I can't see!"

"Neville! Did you forget the password _again_?"

"I did _not_!" came the indignant voice of Neville, probably.

"Why isn't anyone going in?" Long-and-Gangly asked curiously.

"Let me through, please," someone said pompously, "What's the holdup here? You can't _all_ have forgotten the password—excuse me, I'm _Head Boy_ —" then his voice became sharper. "Somebody get Professor Dumbledore. Quick."

"What's going on?" Sister of Long-and-Gangly asked. (I actually liked her. Don't get the wrong idea with the name-calling. I just have no clue what her name is. Jenny, maybe? I forget.)

Waiting for this Dumbledore dude seemed to take _forever._ If he was really as smart as people said, would he be able to figure out that those slashes were dog slashes? Did he know Sirius was and Animagus? Could he somehow magically trace him back to the Shrieking Shack? Would he take Sirius back to Azkaban? What would they do if they caught him? (On a completely unrelated note, can cats hyperventilate? Because based on how worried I was and how fast I was breathing, it seemed like I would.)

But finally, famous Dumbledore showed up. Three other people were running quickly towards him. Teachers, probably. One was some guy with really greasy hair, another the witch that had given Hermione her Time-Turner, and the other one was Remus.

Hold up.

How long had _he_ been here?

"We need to find her," Dumbledore said, "Professor McGonagall, please go to Mr. Filch at once and tell him to search every painting in the castle for the Fat Lady."

"You'll be lucky!" someone cackled. A tiny man was floating in the air, looking very pleased.

"What do you mean, Peeves?" Dumbledore asked calmly. Peeves's smile faltered.

"Ashamed, Your Headship, sir. Doesn't want to be seen. She's a horrible mess. Saw her running through the landscape up on the fourth floor, sir. Dodging between the trees. Crying something dreadful. Poor thing."

"Did she say who did it?"

"Oh yes, Professorhead. He got very angry when she wouldn't let him in, you see. Nasty temper he's got, that Sirius Black."

* * *

 **A/N: I remember when I read that part for the first time, I was** _ **so**_ **shocked. I even remember my heart rate increasing. Hehe.**

 **Anyway, hoped you liked that chapter! Don't forget to review! :P**


	6. Chapter 6: Quidditch

**Chapter 6: Quidditch**

Sirius, we can't just go waltzing into a Quidditch game. There will be _tons_ of people there and _all_ of them think you're a ruthless murderer. Plus, if they catch you, you'll go back to Azkaban. Do you _really_ want to do that? We aren't going, and that's final.

Well, that's what I would have said, if I could talk.

But I didn't, so Sirius (as a dog. He's not _that_ stupid) and I were trooping down through the pouring rain to the Quidditch pitch. Apparently, James had been a really good Quidditch player, so Sirius wanted to watch Harry to see if he was as good. Also, he said he was tired of being cooped up in the Shrieking Shack. And I couldn't argue. So here we were.

Sirius and I crept through the grass and we soon arrived at the Quidditch pitch. The wooden stadiums surrounded a circular field that had three huge bubble sticks at each end. I wondered how this game was played, because it was not your average basketball game. Supposedly, it was really dangerous.

Sirius took a sharp left turn and darted under the stadium's wooden bleachers just as people started flooding into it. We scooted up to the very edge and peered through a gap in the seats.

Players in red and yellow uniforms were coming onto the field. A lady in the middle opened a large wooden crate and three balls flew out. Two big black ones and a tiny gold one which I only saw for a fraction of a second before it was gone. The woman handed a big red ball to a yellow player and the game began.

I figured it was a lot easier to watch if it wasn't raining so hard. Players darted around the field incredibly fast, all the while passing and dodging balls. Occasionally, players would run into each other, drop the ball or be thrown off course by the wind. It looked unbelievably hard and I was glad I didn't have to play. The sky was gradually getting darker, and the wind was blowing harder. Hopefully this would be over soon.

I looked next to me and realized that Sirius had turned into a human ( _seriously_ , Sirius? —Haha. —But seriously…) and was now muttering under his breath, occasionally praising Harry.

A shrill whistle sounded, and the players flew over to the side of the field.

"They're up by fifty," Sirius told me, "Hopefully Harry gets the Snitch soon."

I had absolutely no idea what a Snitch was (besides, like, what Peter was, of course), so I just sat there.

The game resumed, and Harry seemed to have put his game face on.

"Look at him fly," Sirius sighed, "He would've given James a run for his money."

I was glad to see that Sirius could forget about Peter for a while and just be happy.

Harry turned and then suddenly, he stopped and stared at the clouds. Sirius muttered angrily.

"Harry!" someone yelled, "Harry, behind you!"

Harry snapped his neck around and then leaned over and flew as fast as he could towards a yellow player. It was really exciting; I felt like the fate of the game depended on this moment.

But then everything became eerily silent, even the wind. Then a wave of cold swept over me, inside my body, not outside, and all I could remember was the day James had died. But I shook myself out of the memory just in time to bite Sirius's shirt, for he was about to run out and help Harry. I used all my strength to pull him back as he cursed and flailed.

Harry began to fall, and a jolt of panic snapped the icy cold feeling right out of me. But then a large hooded figure turned in Sirius's direction. Sirius's eyes widened and with a reluctant glance at the falling Harry, he changed into a dog and ran. I trotted after him.

He ran to the Whomping Willow, where a smashed something was lying in ruins at the base of the tree. Sirius sprinted towards the tree, but he gradually started slowing down. And I suddenly realized that those scary and cold black figures must somehow be affecting him. He collapsed on the ground, changing back into a human, only a few feet away from the tree.

I rushed over, and summoned all my strength as I put his shirt in my teeth. I pulled back hard and actually managed to move him a few feet. Wow.

I pulled him slowly towards the knot in the tree, trying desperately to keep him from being killed by the thrashing tree and to get him in the tunnel before any students saw him. I mean, a cat dragging Sirius Black, the deranged murderer, into a tree might look a bit suspicious. Not to mention weird.

I go Sirius all the way to the knot and pressed it with my paw. Then, with my last bit of strength, I tugged him into the tunnel out of sight and collapsed right next to him.

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry that one was really short, I don't know. It probably wasn't necessary, but Sirius mentioned that he watched Harry playing Quidditch, so I thought it would be fun to include since I had some free time tonight. I also thought that Sirius qualified as having "true horrors in his past," making him pass out around Dementors. I mean, he was blamed for his best friend's death, sent to Azkaban and freaking disowned by his family.**

 **Review and let me know what you think. :D**


	7. Chapter 7: Christmas

**Chapter 7: Christmas**

As it turned out, the Fat Lady had been replaced with a really hyper night. He jumped around wielding his sword and calling you a scurvy nave whenever you walked by. Not to mention that he changed the password at least twice a week.

It also turned out that Christmas was coming soon. I had been so busy with visiting Sirius and watching Peter to even notice what month it was. This being the case, Sirius wanted to buy Harry a present because, "I'm practically his father, it only makes sense." (that was his reasoning.)

Sirius had also noticed Harry's crushed broom under the tree. He thought that he should get him a new broom, and he suggested a Firebolt. Now, I'm no expert on brooms, but a Firebolt was supposed to be a really good broom. Like _insanely_ good. I had heard Harry and Long-and-Gangly talking about it.

I meowed to show that was a good idea.

But how is Sirius going to get a Firebolt?

"But how am I going to get a Firebolt?" Sirius asked, voicing my thoughts. Good question.

I wasn't as though a notorious mass murderer could just walk into a store all casual, like, "Hello, I'd like a broom, please."

Also, Sirius didn't have any money. And even if you did, Harry had mentioned once that the only Firebolts in stores are displays. Apparently, you have to specially order one.

"I know!" Sirius exclaimed as he paced back to the couch, "You can take the order form for me. The Owl Office is in Hogsmeade, where we went to get into Hogwarts. It's a store with lots of owls in it."

A cat ordering a Firebolt? Sure. Totally normal.

Sirius scribbled something down on a torn piece of paper while muttering to himself, "Firebolt… Harry Potter…vault #711."

He picked it up and gave it to me. I held it in my mouth, ready for instruction.

"Alright. Owl Office, remember?"

I nodded and lept off the couch. I climbed out of the tunnel and trotted off to Hogsmeade.

* * *

The journey took me about half an hour, but I finally reached the welcoming street of Hogsmeade. I scampered down the road, looking for a store with owls and dodging Hogwarts students. Everywhere, there were posters of Sirius looking down at me and store owners grumbling something about Dementors.

I finally found it. It was one of the larger buildings. The outside looked like any other store, but through the window, I saw hundreds of owls sitting on shelves, fluttering in and out of the windows.

I waited until a woman opened the door, and then I walked in with her. It looked like a regular Muggle post office, except for the owls. I waited behind the same woman who had opened the door for me. She wanted to send some Dungbombs to her nephew.

When that was sorted out, I lept onto the counter, which startled the wizard behind the desk. He smiled at me as I dropped Sirius's order form. He picked it up and raised an eyebrow at me like, _how in the world did you write this, you have no thumbs._

I meowed pleasantly at him and jumped off the counter. I stood by the door to see if he would actually send it. To my delight, he walked over to an owl, who flew off with the order form attached to its leg.

* * *

Christmas came soon after that. Hermione and her roommates woke up happily as they began tearing open gifts at their feet. Hermione received many things, but the strangest was a toothbrush from her parents. She and her friends giggled happily as they chatted and looked at each other's presents. Unfortunately, one named Lavender got the idea of tying tinsel around my neck.

Eventually, Hermione decided to go visit Harry and Long-and-Gangly. Maybe I could see this legendary Firebolt.

She took me into the boy's dormitory, where I was greeted warmly: "Don't bring him in here!" Long-and-Gangly said as he stored Peter in his pocket.

But Hermione just put me on an open bed and stared at the broom in Harry's hand.

"Oh _Harry_! Who sent you _that_?"

"No idea," Harry replied, "There wasn't a card or anything with it."

Hermione's face fell as though she was having a surprising thought.

"What's the matter with you?" Long-and-Gangly said.

"I don't know…" Hermione answered, "but it's a bit odd, isn't it? I mean, this is supposed to be quite a good broom, isn't it?"

"It's the best one there is, Hermione," Long-and-Gangly sighed.

"So, it must've been really expensive…"

"Probably cost more than all the Slytherin's brooms put together," Long-and-Gangly answered happily. That thought seemed to make him happy.

"Well…who'd send Harry something as expensive as that, and not even tell him they'd send it?" Hermione contemplated.

Uh-oh. Did she know?

"Who cares?" Long-and-Gangly said impatiently, "Listen, Harry, can I have a go on it? Can I?"

"I don't think anyone should ride that broom just yet!" Hermione squealed.

Harry and Long-and-Gangly gaped at her. "What d'you think Harry's going to do with it—sweep the floor?"

Before Hermione could answer, I lept at Peter. 1) I wanted to avoid any further discussion on this subject. Hermione was like a genius, she probably guessed Sirius sent the broom. 2) It was Christmas, so I figured, what the heck?

"GET—HIM—OUT—OF—HERE!" Long-and-Gangly yelled as I ripped his pajamas trying to get to Peter. Peter wildly jumped over Long-and-Gangly's shoulder. Long-and-Gangly grabbed him and tried to kick me, but I darted out of his way and he hit a trunk. And suddenly I stopped.

A shrill, piercing whistling sound was filling the room. A spinning top was spinning on the floor.

"I forgot about that!" Harry bent and picked it up. "I never wear those socks if I can help it…"

I hissed at the thing as Harry held it.

"You'd better take that cat out of here, Hermione," Long-and-Gangly said. Then he added to Harry, "Can't you shut that thing up?"

I glared at Long-and-Gangly.

Harry was looking at Peter. "He's not looking to good, is he?" he said.

"It's stress! He's be fine if that big stupid furball left him alone!"

Hermione scooped me up and headed back to her dormitory.

"I'm sorry Ron tried to kick you," she said softly, but I could sense the anger in her voice. That made me happy. Hermione was mad at Long-and-Gangly too.

And she left me on her bed to wonder if she knew Sirius had sent the broom and what would happen if she did.

* * *

 **A/N: Hope you liked it! There are only going to be three more chapters after this, so…yeah.**

 **Review and let me know what you think. :P**


	8. Chapter 8: Passwords

**Chapter 8: Passwords**

After Christmas was over, Sirius and I continued our plot for revenge. We had decided based on past failures that me flat out attacking Crookshanks wasn't going to work. We needed a new plan. And, of course, Sirius wanted to be involved.

"My plan _would've_ worked last time, but I don't know the stupid Gryffindor common room password…"

And suddenly I had an idea. The crazy knight portrait changed the password almost every day. One boy said he had taken to keeping a list of all the passwords, so he didn't forget. If I could get that list…

* * *

The next day, a large party was held in the common room. Hermione was the only one who was not stuffing her face and cheering. I took advantage of the festivities and slipped quietly up to the boy's dormitory. The door had been left slightly open, luckily enough.

I walked in and began my search. I looked at all of the nightstands, on all the beds and all over the floor. Just when it was looking like I would have to search somewhere that required thumbs to access, I spotted a small slip of paper sticking out from under a shoe at the foot of a bed. I went over to it and picked it up in my teeth, satisfied with my prize.

* * *

"This is _every_ password to the Gryffindor common room?" Sirius asked me, astounded.

I meowed.

Sirius laughed maniacally as he patted me on the back.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" he asked.

We went into Hogsmeade as cat and dog and took the familiar tunnel into Hogwarts. We hurried through the hall and dodged behind statues and tapestries every once and a while. There were a few students in the hall, as there was no feast this time.

We finally made it to the hallway with the knight portrait. Sirius changed into a human, but the knight seemed unfazed. Clearing his throat and holding up his hand so that the knight wouldn't yell, Sirius began reading off the passwords.

"Abstinence, Scurvy Cur, Stand and Fight, Flibbergibbet, Caput Draconis, Password, You Rouges, Trespassers and… Banana Fritters."

The knight looked astonished but proud. "All of this weeks' passwords! Well done! You may enter."

Sirius shrunk back into a dog and entered the through the open portrait. The whole common room was dark, though you could tell a party had happened. Sirius and I crept around chairs and slinked in the shadows until we reached the stair case to the boys' dormitory. Then we bolted up the stairs and into the room labeled _THIRD YEARS_. I sat on a table to watch.

Sirius took out a knife and loomed over Long-and-Gangly's bed as he searched for Peter. And then it went wrong. Long-and-Gangly's eyes flew open.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHH! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Sirius looked taken aback, then confused, then alarmed. In a split second, he turned into a dog and ran out of the room. I followed, but waited at the door.

"What's going on?"

"Black! Sirius Black! With a knife!"

" _What_?"

"Here! Just now! Slashed the curtains! Woke me up!"

"Are you sure you weren't dreaming, Ron?"

"Look at the curtains! I tell you, he was here!"

The boys began to get out of bed, and I dashed out of the room. I sat on a chair in the back of the room, unnoticed by all the people now flooding in.

"Are you _sure_ you weren't dreaming Ron?"

"I'm telling you! I saw him!"

"What's all the noise?"

"Professor McGonagall told us to go to bed!"

"Excellent, are we carrying on?" one of Long-and-Gangly's relatives asked.

"Everyone back upstairs!" another one shouted.

"Perce—Sirius Black!" Long-and-Gangly said, "In our dormitory! With a knife! Woke me up!"

Everyone quieted.

"Nonsense!" Perce said, "You had too much to eat, Ron, had a nightmare—"

"I'm telling you—"

"Now, really, that's enough!" A curt voice called. "I am delighted that Gryffindor won the match, but this is getting ridiculous! Percy, I expected better of you!"

"I certainly didn't authorize this!" Percy said, "I was just telling them all to get back to bed! My brother Ron had a nightmare—"

"IT WASN'T A NIGHTMARE! PROFESSOR, I WOKE UP AND SIRIUS BLACK WAS STANDING OVER ME, HOLDING A KNIFE!"

The professor stared at him. "Don't be ridiculous, Weasley, how could he possibly have gotten through the portrait hole?"

"Ask him!" Long-and-Gangly pointed at the knight's picture, "Ask him if he saw—"

The professor walked over to the knight.

"Sir Cadogan, did you just let a man enter Gryffindor Tower?"

"Certainly, good lady!" he cried.

Everyone was stunned.

"You—you _did_?" the professor stammered, "But—but the password!"

"He had 'em!" Sir Cadogan replied, "Had the whole week's, my lady! Read 'em off a little piece of paper!"

The professor turned slowly to the crowd.

"Which person, which abysmally foolish person wrote down this week's passwords and left them lying around?"

A boy squeaked and raised his hand.

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 **A/N: Hope you liked it! Sorry these chapters are so short. Don't forget to review! :P**


	9. Chapter 9: Peter Revealed

**Chapter 9: Peter Revealed**

 **A/N: So, in the beginning of this story, I made a mistake. I said Remus was there for the Secret-keeper change when in reality he wasn't.**

 **Also, sorry for that** _ **outrageous**_ **typo in the last chapter. I said, "me flat out attacking Crookshanks," when I meant, "flat out attacking Peter," of course. I proofread that chapter so many times, I have no earthly idea how it escaped my notice. I guess my brain automatically corrected it. Sorry.**

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A little bit after the failure of our dormitory plan, I was walking back to see Sirius, when I came up with an even better plan. I could bring Peter to the Shrieking Shack. It seemed so obvious that I thought it was a little stupid that neither of us thought of it before.

And I got lucky.

I found Peter on the grounds with Harry and his friends when I was close to the Whomping Willow. I couldn't see them, but I somehow knew exactly where they were. I zeroed in on their location and then chased Peter to the Whomping Willow, where things got complicated.

So, here's how it went:

I got Peter to the tree, closely followed, of course, by Long-and-Gangly, who eventually caught Peter. I wasn't sure what to do then, but luckily, Sirius showed up. I had thought that he was in the Shack, but apparently, he wasn't.

Anyway, he jumped from out of nowhere and crashed into Harry. Then he seemed to realize he had made a mistake and switched course to go to Peter. While trying to reach Peter, he missed and accidently grabbed Long-and-Gangly's arm. Undaunted, Sirius began to drag Peter and Long-and-Gangly through the swinging branches and to the knot of the tree. Harry and Hermione called for Long-and-Gangly, but couldn't get past the tree.

That's when I heroically stepped in and touched the knot on the tree and led them down the tunnel.

I found Sirius, Peter and Long-and-Gangly in the Shrieking Shack and lept onto a bed to watch. Then Harry and Hermione came in. Everyone was in utter shock that Sirius was an Animagus.

Then some fighting occurred. Harry evidently hated Sirius because he thought he was a lying backstabber who killed his parents. He was really hard to convince. He would _not_ listen. Well, I guess Sirius wasn't making much an effort to explain, but who can blame him? Peter was right there and still alive. _I_ certainly wouldn't waste time talking.

Then Harry got a little too violent and was about to kill Sirius, but I jumped onto his chest to protect him. Maybe the sight of a cute adorable cat would change Harry's mind. But if it didn't, I was going to go down with Sirius.

Luckily, Remus came in and attempted to explain everything as he pieced together the puzzle. I was getting irritated. We had no time for this, we _should_ be getting revenge on Peter. But Remus got to the part of Peter actually being a rat, and the time had come. But _nooo,_ Harry needs like _every_ detail. So, Remus and Sirius had to explain their past with James, which made me sad. And the man who caused his death was _right there_. But we were talking about why we should kill him rather than killing him.

And then, when we were all done with this explaining junk, another guy showed up, the greasy-haired teacher. And then there was some yelling and some more fighting. Blah, blah, blah. Then, after the teacher had been blasted into the wall, they got started _explaining_ again. Long-and-Gangly _still_ was not getting that "Scabbers" was Peter. Neither was Harry for that matter.

Then, oh, _then_ , Long-and-Gangly called me "that mad cat" again, and I had about had it up to here. But, Sirius defended me, called me smart, said I was helping him, though he said it was a while before I trusted him. "A while" seemed like a bit of a stretch, but whatever.

At long last, Sirius and Remus revealed Peter. But _then_ , they had to "sort a few things out." What the heck? What is there to sort out? Sirius is innocent and a great man, unlike Peter, that lying, backstabbing, good-for-nothing rat.

After everything was _sorted out_ , the moment of truth came.

Oh, wait, no it didn't.

Harry got all noble, and called off the killing and said that he could go to Azkaban instead. Said he didn't think James would want his best friends to be killers. He's probably right… dang it.

So, I led everyone out of the Shrieking Shack.

Once we were outside, I was ready to lead back to the castle so that Peter could go to Azkaban and Sirius's name could be cleared.

And then, as fate would have it, things got worse.

Remus transformed into a werewolf. I felt bad for the guy, it looked painful. Then Sirius transformed into a dog and they had a wrestling match, only much more intense. But I didn't see much of it. The last thing I remembered was seeing Peter shrink back into the size of a rat before a red light hit me and everything was black.

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 **A/N: Sorry if that was kind of boring, since we all know what happens at the end of the book, but y'know. It would have been more boring, but** _ **ColbiWest**_ **helped me with it, so thank you. :-)**

 **There is going to be one more chapter, hopefully out soon. Don't forget to review :D**


	10. Chapter 10: Going Home

**Chapter 10: Going Home**

I _could not_ believe it. Peter had escaped, and Sirius was on the run. After all we had gone through, Peter still got away. And Sirius was still thought to be a maniacal, deranged mass murderer. Hmm, I basically said the same thing twice, didn't I?

I sat on the train with Hermione, Harry and Long-and-Gangly—uh, I mean _Ron_ (the guy was ok, I guess) brooding about the injustice of it all. Then something distracted me.

"Harry, what's that thing outside your window?"

A small gray owl was bouncing up and down outside of the window as it tried to carry a huge letter. Well, huge compared to its own size. Harry opened the window to catch it. The owl gave Harry's its letter and then decided to flutter excitedly around the compartment. I sat up for a closer look and Ron snatched the owl out of my way. Haha.

Harry opened the letter and cried, "It's from Sirius!"

"What?" Hermione and Ron said happily, voicing my exact thoughts. "Read it aloud!"

 _Dear Harry,_

 _I hope this finds you before you reach your aunt and uncle._

 _I don't know whether they're used to owl post._

 _Buckbeak and I are in hiding. I won't tell you where, in_

 _case this owl falls into the wrong hands. I have some doubt_

 _about his reliability, but he is the best I could find, and he did_

 _seem eager for the job._

 _I believe the dementors are still searching for me, but they_

 _haven't a hope of finding me here. I am planning to allow some_

 _Muggles to glimpse me soon, a long way from Hogwarts, so_

 _that the security on the castle will be lifted._

 _There is something I never got around to telling you_

 _during our brief meeting. It was I who sent you the Firebolt_ —

"Ha!" Hermione said. "See! I _told_ you it was from him!"

"Yes, but he hadn't jinxed it, had he?" Ron asked. "Ouch!" he continued, after the owl bit him.

 _Crookshanks took the order to the Owl Office for me. I used_

 _your name but told them to take the gold from my own_

 _Gringotts vault. Please consider it as thirteen birthdays' worth_

 _of presents from your godfather._

 _I would also like to apologize for the fright I think I gave_

 _you that night last year when you left your uncle's house. I had_

 _only hoped to get a glimpse of you before starting my journey_

 _north, but I think the sight of me alarmed you._

 _I am enclosing something else for you, which I think will_

 _make your next year at Hogwarts more enjoyable._

 _If ever you need me, send word. Your owl will find me._

 _I'll write again soon._

 _Sirius_

Harry looked into the envelope and pulled out something else, which he read aloud again. But I was thinking about all the time I had spent with Sirius that year. It had seemed so intense at the time, but looking back on it, it seemed like we were just playing a really dangerous game of hide and seek.

"Hang on, there's a P.S…"

 _I thought your friend Ron might like to keep this owl, as it's my fault he no longer has a rat._

"Keep him?" Ron said uncertainly. He studied the owl, then held it out to me, which was surprising.

"What d'you reckon?" he asked. "Definitely an owl?"

I looked at the bird. It seemed fully animal, it didn't have that weird incomplete feel to it. I purred to assure Ron that this was definitely not another Peter.

"That's good enough for me. He's mine." Ron said cheerily.

The train continued on to the station. I was still upset that Peter had gotten away, but there'll be other chances. If he's joined this Volde-who guy, he might slip up and get himself killed. And who knows when I might see him again? I had thought I would never lay eyes on him again, but he just turned up one day at Magical Menagerie. Who says that can't happen again?

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 **A/N: The End.**

 **Hope you liked the story and thanks to all of you who took time to read it!**


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